Improvement in car-starters



, 2 Sheets-Sheetvl.

E. -R. ST'ILLMAN.

CAR-STARTER.

Patented Fejb. 27,1871.

N7 PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

PATENT rron,

ELLIcoT'r n. s'rILLMAN, or BURR OAK, MICHIGAN.

i IMPROVEMENT lN CARSTARTERS Speciicationforming part'of Letters Patent N0. 187,781, dated February 27, 1877; application tiled November 2, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELLIcoT'r B. STILL- MAN, of Burr Oak, St. Joseph county, Michi- 'gan, have "invented Improvements in Car- Starters, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to effectively and economically store up the power used in arresting the movement of a car and utilize it for starting the same; and this object l accomplish by means of the devices shown in the accompanying drawings, in whicht Figure l is an inverted plan view of a car with my improved starting device applied thereto; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section, and Fig. 3 a modification.

The body A of the car is mounted upon wheels B Bl B2, secured to axles G U', and applied in the usual manner. Beneath the carframe are the bearings of three shafts, D E F, the shaft D being parallel to the axles, and the shafts E F at right angles thereto. A spur-wheel, a, on the inside of one ofthe wheels B1, is adapted to a bevel-pinion, a', on the end of the shaft E, a spur-wheel, b, on the opposite end of said shaft gearing with a bevel-pinion, b', on the shaft D. On the outer end ot' the shaft F is a conical friction-wheel, c, adapted to the inclined annular face c' of one of the car-Wheels, B2, and a bevel-pinion, ol,

at the opposite end of this shaft gears with a spur-wheel, d', on the shaft D. The bearings e e for the outer ends of the shafts E F are capable of lateral adjustment, so that the pinion c' may be moved into and out of gear with the spur-wheel c, andthe wheel o to and from the inclined face c', these movements being effected by means of a lever, G, hung beneath the car, and connected by links fj to the sliding bearings e e'. These links are so' arranged that when the lever is moved in direction of the arrow 1, Fig. l, the pinion will be brought into gear with the spur-wheel, While the conical roller c Will be withdrawn from the face o', and vice versa. Beneath one end of the car is suspended a spring, H, consisting, in the presentinstance, of two elliptic springs, g g', placed one above the other, with an intervening space, and secured at opposite sides to plates h h', the latter being fastened to the ends of parallel braces la k beneath the car. A band, chain, or strap, I, connected between the springs g g' to the plate h., passes through an opening, t', in the plate h', and is connected to a drum, J, on the shaft D, and beneath said strap, from the plate 71 extends a bar, L, which terminates at a point adjacent to the axle C, and has a slot, s, for the reception of the end of a lever, K, pivoted at the opposite end to the frame of the car. A rod, l, connects the lever K with the lever G. Through the platform of the car, near each end, passes a rod, M, having a crank-handle at the top, and a cross-bar, N, at the bottom, and to the opposite ends of said cross-bar are ljointed the ends of rods m m', connected to the opposite ends ofthe lever Gr. To hangers extending from the car-body are pivoted two levers, P P, the outer end of each extending beneath one platform of the car, and being` pivoted to a vertical rod, n, extending through the platform, and having a foot-plate, Q, at the upper end. Each lever P carries at its inner end aweighted pawl, p, the ends of which are adapted to the teeth of ratchet-wheels t t on 'the shaft D, the teeth of the two ratchet- Wheels being inclined in opposite directions, for a purpose described hereafter. Under ordinary circumstances the spring H will be expanded toits full extent, and the various parts above described are so arranged that the pinion a will be out of gear, and the roller c will be free fromcontaet with the face c. When the motion of the car is to be arrested the driver, standing upon either platform, will turn the adjacent shaft M in the di rection of the arrow 2, Fig. l, thereby swinging the lever G in the direction lof the arrow 3, and bringing the roller o into frictional contact With the face c' of the car-wheel B2, which therefore imparts a rotary motion to the roller and lits shaft, and to the drivingshaft D.

As the shaft D revolves, the belt I will be Wound upon the drum J until the spring H is compressed to its full extent, when, if the motion of the car is further continued, the face c will slip past the roller c, thereby prevent-V ing the undue straining or breaking of any of the parts. Under ordinary circumstances,

2 aanvang however, the power required to compress the spring will be sufficient to arrest the movement of the car.

It will be seen that this result will be eti fected Whichever may be the direction of the movement of the car, as the flexible strap i will be wound upon the drum J, revolving in either' direction. the shaft is prevented by the pawl p of the lever P, which Ais under the control of the conductor. Thus, when the car is moving in the direction ofthe arrow, Fig. 2, the pawl of the lever (shown in dotted lines) will retain the shaft D immovable. When the car is to be started-the conductor or driver turns the adjacent shaft M, so as to throw the pinion a into gear with the spur wheel a. He then places his foot upon the plate Q, presses down the bar n and lever P, and thus disengages the pawl from the ratchetwheel, when the' spring, by its recoil, will unwind the strap from the drum, rotate the shafts D E, the pinion a', and impart a rotary motion to the car-wheel B1, thereby starting the car. As the spring reaches the extent of its outward movement, the end of the slot in the bar L will strike the end of the lever K, and the latter will be carried in the direction of its arrow to such an extent as to remove vthe pinion c and roller o from contact with the Wheels ofthe car.

It will he seen that the devices above described are of a character to be readily applied to any of the cars in use without any alteration in the structure of the latter, the spur-wheel a being bolted to one wheel, and a ring, having` a beveled face, c', to the other.

It will further be'seen that all straining and breakin g of the parts is effectually prevented, that no duplicate or alternate parts are required in order to impart motion in either direction from the spring, and that a spring of great power may be obtained by means of two4 elliptic springs connected, as set forth.

It is not absolutely necessary to vemploy the precise arrangement above described. For instance, the shaft D may consist of two sections, connected by a universal joint, w, the end of the section D turning in a sliding bearing, o, as shown in Fig. 3.

The reverse movement of Without, therefore, confining myself to the precise arrangement shown,

I claim- 1. The shaft D.` driven by friction devices from one car-wheel, and provided with adjustable gears for connecting it with another, in

combination with the spring H and band I, connected to the spring, and to a drum on the said shaft, all substantially as and for the purpose specied.

2. rIhe spring H and driving-shaft D, and

exible band or strap I, connected to the shaft and-spring, all combined and operating -as set forth.

3. The combination of the axle, the drivingshaft D, parallel to the axle, shafts E F, car- .rvin friction and bevel iuions movable bearings e e', supporting' the inner end of said shafts, and lever G, arranged between and connected-by links to both bearings, substantially as specied.

4. The lever' G, connected to shafts M at both ends of the car, and to the movable bearings of the friction and gear wheels, substantially 'as set forth. v

5. The combination ofthe spring H, slotted bar L, and lever K, connected to the lever Gr,

substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination ofthe shaft D, its ratchet-wheels t t', levers P P, and bars n n', as specified.

7. rIhe combination of the two elliptic springs g g and plates h It', as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELLIGOTT It. STILLMAN.

Witnesses :A

OLIVER NroHoLs, D. F. PARsoNs. 

